>> Monday, April 5, 2010

If you've ever wanted to make your own hummus, this post is definitely for you. In our quest to spend less at the grocery store, we've been indulging in simple things. Like canned chickpeas. What better way to eat them than processed into hummus?

And who says you can't put cilantro into a smoothie? Well, I guess no one really SAID you can't, but it's certainly not something I had ever thought to do. Again, since we've been spending less at the store, we've also been trying to waste less. That means that bunch of droopy cilantro we just didn't have a use for got dumped into the blender.

I assure you, my feelings were mixed as I put glass to mouth to take my first sip of this brown concoction. Blame it on the heat, but I enjoyed it immensely. Even made a video to prove it's not all that bad! (Also: This girl can finish half a large pizza herself. And that tiny plate of fresh veggies, Wasa "bread," and hummus took me forever to eat! Filling and healthy . . . give it a try!)

Here are the other recipes I've promised to share with you. You'll notice a recurring theme here. They're all so easy a 2-year-old could make them. No kidding! And that's what we like about spring and summer foods. They often require little prep, and they make use of fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Basic Hummus

What you'll need . . .

1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon tahini

1/4 cup water

Method . . .

All you have to do is dump everything into a food processor.

Blend.

Season as desired. My favorite is just adding a teaspoon or so of paprika.